2/1/2024 – Saint Helena, CA – Wine Writers’ Symposium, the premier conference for wine writing, brought together 36 emerging and experienced voices in the world of wine earlier this week in Napa Valley. They engaged in sessions to hone their craft in addition to participating in networking and mentorship opportunities.
Founded in 2005 by Napa Valley Vintners and Meadowood Napa Valley, the program aims to encourage, promote, and expand the wine writers’ community; strengthen connections between emerging and established writers; and provide a forum to discuss and explore the key issues facing an ever-evolving industry.
“The brainpower among the attendees at the symposium was extraordinary,“ said Dorothy J. Gaiter, a speaker and a member of the board of the Wine Writers’ Symposium. “There were so many different areas of expertise, and we all learned from each other. What we all had in common was passion about wine. I so look forward to everyone going out into the world and sharing that passion and the experiences they had in Napa with many other people.”
The Wine Writers’ Symposium is the only program dedicated to wine writing in the United States and one of the only programs dedicated to attracting and building a wider network of writers in the wine space. Since its founding, more than 500 writers have traveled to Napa Valley to attend the program in person, and another 400 have participated in virtual sessions provided by the Symposium. The program has nurtured writers from more than 23 countries.
This year’s theme, “Exploring the Edge of Wine,” delved into innovative and unconventional ways writers can contribute to the wine industry. Writers explored the theme through a series of discussions that included ways of linking wine to greater cultural trends, building a community of writers, and connecting with Millennial and Gen Z audiences, among other topics.
The 2024 Fellows for the Wine Writers’ Symposium were selected out of more than 150 applicants. This year’s Fellows were: Laura Algieri, Henna Bakshi, David Brown, Allison Burton-Parker, Aiden Carroll, Christy Frank, Carol Kaufmann, Candace Keeton, Caroline Lamb, Danika Leminski, Allyson Noman, Kate Nowell-Smith, Marissa Ocasio, Erin Ortiz, Tiffany Patterson, Hanna Raskin, Martin Redmond, Dena Roché, Nicole Rodriguez, Ashaki Thompson-Hall, Tamara Turner, and Ocean Yap-Powell.
The Fellows were joined by editors, publishers, and other writers for a series of workshops, seminars, and mentorship sessions focused on the craft of writing led by: John Brecher, Lauren Buzzeo, Elaine Chukan Brown, Chasity Cooper, Erica Duecy, Dorothy J. Gaiter, Brianne Garrett, Ray Isle, Andrew Jefford, Anna Lee Iijima, Meg Maker, Clive Pursehouse, Erin Scala, and Courtney Schiessl Magrini.
As partners in producing the event, Meadowood Napa Valley and Napa Valley Vintners were delighted to welcome writers to the valley. Prior to the start of the program, many of the writers spent an educational day learning about the Napa Valley wine region.
This program is made possible with the additional support of presenting sponsors: Portocork and Robert Mondavi Winery, and additional Napa Valley winery partners.
To learn more about the Symposium and this year’s events, visit winewriterssymposium.org.
About the Wine Writers’ Symposium
The Wine Writers’ Symposium, founded by Meadowood Napa Valley and the Napa Valley Vintners, draws top wine book authors and editors, wine magazine writers and critics, newspaper wine columnists, bloggers, and other editorial wine content creators to Napa Valley to speak, listen, debate, explore themes prevalent in contemporary wine writing, and network with their peers for three days. A combination of lectures, panel discussions, group and individual writing sessions, wine tastings, and fine dining make the Symposium an unmatched career enrichment opportunity for wine writers.
